historical vignettes in 100 words of less (hv/100 = a to z)

Life is supposed to be about balance. For someone like me who is often physically and mentally off balance, reaching that serene, uncacophonous mid-point is exquisitely important. Even if my one leg yoga balance pose holds for a nano, it’s usually time for a breath.

Continuous writing challenges are very bad for me. I undertake them, hoping this is the time I don’t fall behind, get angst and anxious, feel inferior, stay insular. I dropped out of April’s A to Z early: despite lots of prep time, I was still theme-less on Day 1, had no template set up, etc. etc. etc.

I wrote down a couple of phrases rattling in my head last week and discovered my a to z challenge theme: a historical vignette in 100 words or less. To try out the idea, I picked a few letters of the alphabet (rather than years) from a to z, and just wrote. For some letters, I came up with several. Not betting on accuracy: these were by memory, my memory at that.

Rather than wait til April, then, here is my self-challenge, to which you are more than welcome to play along. A historical vignette of less than 100 words running a to z but not necessarily daily, but at least bi-weekly. For me, no research allowed – an after-fact check is alright. I’ll explore North American/British Empire history, colonial to 1880s-90s, with a focus on social history. Story suggestions welcome, too.